mich lin

Northwestern mom, Thanks for jumping in. You guys sit in the trials hot seat for sure and yes I've got my eye on your team. Keep up the good work. Also, Stick with Craig, he's got the vision for the future you will need to excell. HE'S ALSO GOT THE PERSONALITY. Who am I in the sport? I'm simply an armchair athlete who tried to get back into the nationals last year but was kicked out of the series for not being up to NATC standards! Actually, that's the kind of people who sponsor sports, whatabees like me. I was poised to get back into NATC trials in a big way but simply didn't fit into the NATC program. So now I'm only a fan, like someone watching football on TV and talking about the big game but not actually doing anything. Consider this, at one time we were one of the biggest contributors to the US TDN team of cash donations. That was until the team manager told me point blank he didn't need our help or want our cash. So I stopped sending it. Could I sponsor riders? Sure! There has to be a lot of Americans that are interested in young riders who might have the talent. The question one always asks yourself as a sponsor is, why? Is this a good investment? I apolagize that I come accross as arrogant but don't confuse arrogance with confidence. In my line of work we deal with people's lives and if a mistake is made, it can cost millions of dollars at best or at worst somebody is dead! That tends to make a person a hard @ss. When it goes well, everyone makes a little money and people are entertained by the art. Is it easy? H@ll no! But professional trials was a great training ground for what we do today. That's why I love the sport. Is Geoff my buddy? Yes! How have we helped him? We have hooked him up with TV and movie jobs and we got him his Screen Actors Guild card. The passport to the motion picture and TV career world and the big dough! I've started dozens of men in the industry, all of them are earning way over a hundred grand a year now. Some of them are even running the biggest shows in Hollywood like Spiderman and The Dukes of Hazard for example. Others have just finished working on shows like Pirates. Simply Northermom, I'm known as one of the best trainers of young talent in Hollywood. Is that arrogant or confident? One parting shot, last night Ringo E-mailed me asking if I could help his son be a stuntman? He's been going to stuntschool but can't get any work. So You see mom, I don't fit into the normal mold of your everyday person, I make a differnce. I'm extra ordinary, speak the truth and watch the back of those around me who watch mine. But, I will not go where I'm not wanted! Even though I could bring a lot to the table. Remember the old saying "You can bring a horse to water but you cannot make him drink." That's why I not convinced trials is worth investing in! Does that make me an jerk or simply a good businessman?

Alan, your onto something good here, don't give up on it. Even though it's a tough subject.

I was hoping Ron would continue to post being one of the Major importers of the USA. His company , Montesa and Scorpa don't have riders in the US Pro class to my knowledge. I believe that only Sherco and GASGAS actually support US Pro riders. Please correct me if I'm wrong! Lack of support for our best riders by the majority of US importers might be one of the reasons that we see such a small Pro turnout? I wanted to ask him why he didn't sponsor a top US rider to try to beat Geoff? I know his bike goes well enough! Then explain it here for us to understand his policy. That's why I started the Ron tred! I felt it was a new and interesting and perhaps difficult subject. I thought people might like to know about but where afraid to ask?

I like Alan's idea of numbers for the classes, the top class being CLASS ONE, down as many classes a club desires. Class one would equal Sportsmen Expert/ Pro/Expert at the nationals, then every class added on a local level simply is one number higher. Hey, in the ATA for example we would have class 9 as the beginner class. Class 1 the Expert class. Names between the clubs then are not important, we simply require riders to be class THREE or higher to ride the nationals or whatever number the NATC prefers. That's my summery, thanks for all the great imput men.

Simply cleansing the name calling gentlemen! Ron is a good guy who has a ton to offer the sport and the board. Starting fresh is not a bad thing when talking about difficult issues like standards.

Naaaaa, let's get all this out in the open! Be honest with each other and be reasonable. I'm against personal attacks but for open dialog on interesting and challenging issues.

Well guys, go for it, be a pro rider! Its no differnt than making your living as an actor, footballer or racecar driver, except your shelf life is shorter as a trials rider. After all it's all giggles, umbrella girls and riding a bike everyday. Right? What could be better? As for me organizing a world round, I'm not in the trials business anymore BUT if you insist! Let's look at the books of the world rounds and give a PAYBACK to the riders from now on. Equal share of the profits for the riders as well, That's fair! If the trial loses money, hey they get no payback.

John, I'll buy the beer next time I see Ya! Your a good guy.

You make a grave mistake living in the past and comparing you or me to anything happening today Ron. We are old news! You also make a BIG mistake using Geoff Aaron as a role model or yardshick Ron. I'am glad to see you fired up though! Don't get me wrong, Geoff is a pal of mine and I give him a helping hand anytime I can having walked the path before him. I know how tough it can be for him! Yes he is a great businessman and a really nice guy. I wish him great success in anything he does. Especally winning at life after trials, which is really 1st prize after all. Only, and I mean only by comparing any US trials performance standard to Sanz and Raga, then to those that come up and beat them can we set a winning standard for the United State's future in trials. We cannot accept the same old standard any longer of the post Bernie days of American trials performance. We must look to what the rest of the world's performance levels are. Then do everything possible to go beyond that. That's our future, not the standards of the past. Ron if you keep that old focus, you put your son and others on the same course of all recent US trials riders. Which is of no impact or importance to the rest of the world trials scene. We cannot reamin the land of the BIG FISH in a small pond. But hey, maybe that's all you expect of your son? Another Big fish in a small pond, like Geoff, I hope not!

Can you be that uncaring and sarcastic toward the sports past and future top riders Isherwood? Don't you have a shred of compasion or are you simply screwing around? A clubman like yourself that has profitted off the backs of the world's best riders, including Geoff. You of all people should understand as well as anyone it's the professional rider who works and commits it ALL and gets the least payback. They sacrifice their youth, their friends, often their college education, their oppertunity to get a good start in life. All for a dream of a title! They endure terrible pressure, yet have to put on a wonderful front toward the public. It's a tough profession. Then when it ends, their whole world crashes down and there are few if any friends left to help then rebuild their lives. They are the draw to the world championship trials that organizers like yourself promote. Yet you offer no purse or payback from your gate to them! Yet they are your draw for the spectators, not your drinking and riding buddies. When their career is over, what then, what are their options? What about riders like Manzano, Bell or Peters who never make it? What do they have to show for their years of dedication to the sport? John, you have put a great deal of effort into your local club, which you deserve a great thank you for. But toward the professional riders you are a shameless profiteer. See I can play "the try to get banned game" also John, my old buddy.

Dman, I totally agree with you! Also show them Rocky, Karate Kid, Grand Prix, Ice Princess and The best game ever. Mental conditioning is the #1 factor in top level trials. If I was involved with the youth training camps at the TCC, I'd lock the kids up each night and show them these movies as a team. Then talk to them about the movies and the sport afterwards and during the next days training. Life is short, your time in the sun is even shorter to have an impact on the game. To be a champion, you need coaching, training and career counceling. When your time is over, you really need even more help then. You have to find your direction for the rest of your life. Build a future and really that's the very hardest part of being a professional trials rider.

Put all the world's riders on a grid or draft like they do in pro football to pick the best team you could build. Would you pick Geoff first round or Raga? If you would pick Geoff, I'd love to go up against you anytime as a coach or team owner. I'd kick your @ss. Run a team like that and you will lose every game you play. You must be NUTS if you think you would like to ride for a living. You have no idea what a tough career it is. You wanting to ride for a living, that's the real drivel. Just go do it! It's no picknick being in Raga's, Lampkin's or even Geoff's shoes. It's one of the hardest jobs anywhere in the world, plus the pay is low compared to the effort they put out. Hey, if that's what you want, get after it. I'm not standing in your way. I might even throw in some sponsor bucks if your results deserve it. That is if you stop insulting your possible sponsors. See how tough it is being a pro rider, you even have to be nice to me.

Thanks men for the possitive input. Let me add that Alan's idea of numbers for classes allowing the clubs to fill in their own names is brilliant. I believe that a lot of our misunderstandings on this board has been about class names. How Sportsmen and Advanced have been mixed up between local clubs. For instance Sportsmen in the ATA is a beginner class while Advanced is one of the hardest. Yet in a lot of clubs it's the other way around. I'm convinced that's caused a huge amount of misunderstandings on the board when people talk about riding levels. Using the number system for classes, helps clear up this confusion. The top class is alway number one, the lowest would be the highest number, then name them whatever a club prefers. The problem is then solved forever!

Wiggy on the other hand is driven! He is burning a standard that the rest of the European and Brit youngsters will try to follow. Dougie has also burned a path in the sports record books! Everyone for years to come will be comparing all trials athletes to Doug Lampkin. The same can be said for Sanz! Three individuals that are excellent.

Be honest, Geoff does suck compared to the rest of the world's best! But he is the best we can produce with todays NATC system. He's no where near a main event athlete. The guy is old by trials standards, lacks drive except for his live show business and is not a good role model for young american athletes. Yes he makes a living at trials, but he has had no impact in the sport overall other than cherry picking a string of US national titles and creating a thriving demo business. But what has that really done for the sport? I like Geoff, he's a smart and a nice fellow. Is he really a good role model for future US trials athletes?

Alan, your right on and dead right with this class standardization topic. Until we mandate class names we will be operating in total confusion. If we can't get this right, we can get nothing right in American trials. First things first, lets straiten out the class disaster problem and then everything else will fall into place. If need be, we need to get very strict on the subject. If clubs don't conform, they need to be fined or their riders should be prevented from riding nationals until they conform.

Men, in school, sport, life and career, there are winners and losers! Participants and spectators, pros and amatuers. Life is all about choices, discipline and character or lack of it! That's been stated very profoundly here by other people than myself. You are either seeking excellence in anything you do or your simply passing time! Everything is relevent. Some are out for only a good time, which is OK but it won't get you far in life. Don't get me wrong, there is a time and place for everything under the sun. Don't however EXPECT the spoils of the winner, the benifits of the world's best, the main event athletes, the excellent if you are a good time charlie or a side show Joe! Joe may be a great guy or making a living but when he starts expecting the salery of the champion to ride,the works bikes and a pro minder, has he really earned it? That's what I'm hearing here, if Joe or Sally had the support of Raga or Laia how well would they do? Who cares, they have not earned that level of support to find out. Results not excuses, look how hard Wiggy is working without all the fancy support. Look at the results, they will get him noticed! A sports community in a country that cannot produce a stong team of male riders who can compete well against the ladies world champ and not be ashamed of itself has something wrong with it. Not everything is about money, life is also about self respect! A country without self respect has nothing. Earn respect, then everything else follows. Including the money,the works bikes and the pro minders. Is there any argument now why I came back from my first TDN in 98 saying that the US riders are the laughing stock of international trials competiton? People gasped and took offence to that then, now everyone must concede that I was right and telling the truth. It only took 8 years to prove my point but hey, I told you so! Do we change that image or keep on the same coures? You guys choose!

This is confusing, why can't the USMCTA simply tell us what classes we must run on a local level? Seems like a NO BRAINER.

Alan is right, This is very important. Our new trials organization must proceed with this program As Soon as Possible otherwise it will not gain the respect of the national trials community. The names or the difficulty really don't matter as long as the best ride the top line and the beginners ride the bottom line. Standardize the names and the numbers of classes and that's a winner. If the newly organized national trials organization cannot succeed with the class program standardization. They are a total failure and not worth supporting. I don't want to sound harsh but facts are facts. They have not showed us very much in their first year of operation.

Let's do the math, loads of hits on Trials central, That's good! We all agree there. Congratulations Andy and company. Next- Only two US riders beat Sanz, she outrode everyone else in the country. Is that good? I suppose that's a matter of opinion. Do we keep doing exactly the same in America with our riding programs? Or is it time for a change? Speaking of the now popular subject of spanking, Sanz did the spanking on the Americans, not the other way around. Roosting or no roosting, welcome to the big time boys! If this was a Pro, college football or an Olympic team, everyone in charge would be fired already.

Wow, are you guys confused or what, did your dad fill you in on the differnce between boys and girls. Our best men have to beat Raga's score for the perks, our best ladies have to beat Sanz's for the perks. GOT IT? Maybe in this day and age if Aaron had a sex change he might beat Sanz for the world title? Maybe, but for how long? Even then I'm not sure the FIM would allow him to compete for the world ladies title. Maybe you guys might want to approach one of the US pros with that proposition, a "sex change?" I like my plan better for a future US world champion, 1) Fewer classes at the youth nationals 2) 125cc national title + plus 5 sections 3) Combine Pro and Expert, + 5 sections 4) Move ladies title to Youth nationls My plans is more conventional than the sex change plan but hey if the FIM approves the idea, go for it if you can find one of the 5 pro class riders willing to have the operation. It's the best plan you guys have come up with yet for another American world champ.

onestophop, I have to agree with your view that the US Pro class of today is a wright off to ever "make it big" in the sport. Your very astute! The question that reamains is do we wright off Cody and Smage as future world champions as well? Then next, how deep do we have to dig into the youth ranks for a future world champ? Maybe Oldar, or even deeper? You ask tough questions! What's your opinion?

What I was trying to say is win the world title and you get the perks. 1) the paycheck 2) the works bike 3) the pro minder! Getting there is not easy, whining that down the pack riders don't have these perks does little good. Where there is a will, there is a way! Raga and Laia are only human and will someday be knocked off their spot. That's all I meant!

You yanks should lisen to the Europeans!

Alan, lead, follow or get out of the way!